On June 4, 2008, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said it is investigating a potential link between four rheumatoid arthritis drugs and the increased risk of cancer in children. The investigation was prompted after the agency received 30 reports of cancer in 10 years among children and young adults treated with the drugs.

The rheumatoid arthritis drugs in question are Amgen’s and Wyeth’s Enbrel, Johnson & Johnson’s Remicade, Abbott Laboratories’ Humira and UBC’s Cimzia. The agency has not elaborated on how many children had taken the drugs or whether cancer incidence was higher than expected. The agency also said it believed the potential benefits of the drug outweigh the potential risks.

All of the drugs work by attempting to dampen inflammation by blocking a protein, called tumor necrosis factor, and are used to treat various immune diseases like rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis and Crohn’s disease. About 70,000 to 100,000 children in the United States suffer from juvenile idiopathic arthritis.

Source: Andrew Pollack, “FDA reviews arthritis drugs for links to cancer,” New York Times, June 5, 2008.